The present invention is directed to a wireless communication device, and more particularly to a communication device and method capable of detecting unauthorized use and securing the data coupled or inputed to the communication device.
Theft of lap top computers or other portable data storing devices such as palm top computers, sub-notebook computers or personal digital assistants are on the rise. In many instances, the value of the data stored in these devices are worth many times the cost of the hardware retaining such data. Maintaining such data secure and attempting to retrieve such data without allowing third parties access to the data becomes ever more crucial as consumers and businesses become more dependent on these portable computing devices. The integration of wireless devices such as selective call receivers or pagers with these portable computing devices provides an avenue for deterring theft of the hardware device as well as the data contained within the hardware. Encryption and password protection for such devices may limit some access to these devices, but further deterrence and secure data recovery can be achieved with a wireless connection to the hardware device. Thus, a need exists for using a wireless connection to further deter theft of portable computing devices, maintain data secure in portable computing devices and potentially recover the data and other unauthorized user input even though the hardware may be physically inaccessible to its rightful owner.